DAWN OF A DARK AGE is a Black Metal band from Italy, formed by vocalist Buran and multi-instrumentalist Eurynomos - And yes you read that wrong, this is (unsurprisingly) not the late Euronymos of MAYHEM - with the vision of creating a series of 6 interconnected concept albums, each consisting of 6 tracks, about the 5 elements (earth, water, air, fire, spirit), plus one more of unknown substance for good measure. Needless to say, the ambitions are through the roof and as a massive fan of concept creations I went into this feeling pretty hopeful. And I've got to say, after spinning "The Six Elements, Vol 1: Earth" a few times, that this is fairly impressive.

While the recording quality is noticeably tainted by Black Metal horridness, it's still clear enough to make the instruments distinguishable and, at times, enjoyable. And a lot of this has to do with the Progressive and, dare I say, Avant-Garde elements (see what I did there?) in the music, which often strays from the traditional Black Metal territories to explore different instruments, styles and sounds while never really leaving the home porch. The songs are extremely varied for a Black Metal album, and in unison with the dynamic nature that comes with a concept album and the Progressive song structures there's a lot to enjoy here. It should of course be mentioned here that every single instrument on the album is performed by the multi-instrumental Eurynomos, which by every right and measure is bloody impressive. Buran on the other hand is a decent but not very intriguing Black Metal vocalist, and depending on your preferences you may find yourself wishing you could turn off the vocals to just listen to the instruments.

But for those of us who ended up feeling that way the album has something quite amazing in store for us at the end: The 5 minute instrumental-only "Outro n.1", which is by far the best track on the album - and that says a lot because all the tracks are actually good, and at times great. But this final track is simply beautiful, and I ended up replaying it alone several times just to hear those haunting instruments lure me away. This is a straight-up amazing track, and I can recommend this album based on that track alone.

And that in a way actually lead me to feeling a little disappointed about the album because after listening to that amazing track I just couldn't help but think what the rest of the album - and the coming albums - could've been like if DAWN OF A DARK AGE had not primarily been a Black Metal act but rather been a Folky Progressive band or gone down the line of the legendary BATHORY to create something distinctly different. But alas, so it is not...

So what is it? A damn fine Black Metal debut album by every measure and an intriguing start to a concept hexalogy that could very well end up really great if DAWN OF A DARK AGE can learn from the few mistakes they make. I think there's something here for every kind of Black Metaller to enjoy, and like any concept album this is the kind you want to listen to through-and-through. DAWN OF A DARK AGE, you've got my attention - now bring us the next volume!